The run-up leading to the 2012 Geneva Motor Show is becoming fast and feverish and now, Chevrolet is joining the party with preparations for the unveiling of the Chevrolet Cruze Wagon.
They’ve just offered the first look at the vehicle, although it’s not much of a look considering that it’s one image of the rear end of the car. Nonetheless, it does give us a good idea of the extended wheelbase of the Cruze Wagon, as well as the accompanying new rear styling of the vehicle.
Not much has gone in the way of details, but the wagon variant does follow in the footsteps of the sedan and hatchback versions, which have become popular sellers since the model was launched a few years ago.
As far as aesthetics go, the Cruze Wagon measures 4,675 mm (184.1 inches) in length, with a total storage space of 500 liters (146.5 cubic feet) to the window line and nearly 1,500 liters (424.5 cubic feet) up to the roof top with the rear seats folded down. In terms of design, the Cruze Wagon has a remodeled front fascia, modified head-lamp interiors and fog lamps, new wheel styles, and as with most wagons go, there’s also the presence of roof racks. For the interior, Cruze models get refinements to the center console and a greater choice of seat finishes, as well as keyless entry and MyLink, a brand-new Chevrolet infotainment system. MyLink connects with your smartphone to display personal playlists, photo galleries, phone books, videos, and other stored media and data to a seven-inch diagonal high-resolution full-color touch-screen.
The Chevrolet Cruze Wagon, as with all of the Cruze variants, will be powered by a range of engines, including the current 1.6L and 1.8L gasoline engines, a new 1.4L turbo gasoline, a new 1.7L diesel, and an improved 2.0L diesel engine.
All the official numbers, as well as the full details surrounding the Cruze Wagon will be divulged at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, so stay tuned!
Our spy photographers have caught a very interesting prototype of a Super Scout testing. We say interesting because this particular Skout has parts that used to be produced by a Czech company that modifies Skoda cars, but this a prototype straight from Skoda itself. The prototype was caught testing together with a mule for the production Vision D.
Rumors of a Superb Scout model have been floating around for awhile, but since Volkswagen is in the middle of their automotive domination and currently have the say in a lot of vehicles and their unveilings, the Skoda had to be out on the backburner until V-Dub’s Passat Alltrack was shown off first. Power for the Superb Scout will also be teetering on what’s good for the Passat, so expect it to carry the 140 HP TDI engine and not the 170 HP TDI. In all actuality, the Superb Scout should share the power setups of the Superb 4x4.
The Skoda Superb Scout in these images barely has any camouflage, so expect it to be launched by the end of the year.
After Mercedes unveiled the new generation CLS, rumors started to circulate about a Shooting Brake version. And while this isn’t the first time the vehicle has been caught testing, it is yet another confirmation that the Shooting Brake is happening, however strange it may seem.
The up and coming CLS Shooting Brake was in Northern Sweden doing some winter testing when our spy photographers caught up with it. If anyone expects to see great things from this new model, we recommend they stop dreaming. The Shooting Brake model will only be a station wagon version of the CLS and will feature the same design language as its sedan brother. The technology and engine lineup will also be shared.
This means that when the CLS Shooting Brake finally makes its appearance, it will be powered by a direct-injected 3.5-liter V6 capable of producing 306 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. An AMG version is also a strong possibility.
The Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake is expected to be unveiled sometime in 2012.
Audi has unveiled the new twin-turbo V6 TDI engine in UK. This engine will be used on models like the A6 sedan and the Avant, as well as the A7 Sportback models. The new models are already on sale and prices will start from £43,810 ($69,200 at the current rates) for the A6 models and from £51,645 ($81,500 at the current rates) for the A7 Sportback.
The new V6 TDI engine has been equipped with a two-stage turbocharger group that delivers a maximum boost pressure of up to 3.2 bar. This allows the engine to deliver a total of 313 HP from 3,900-4,500rpm and a peak torque of 479 lb-ft available from 1,450 to 2,800rpm.
With this amount of power, the A6 3.0 BiTDI quattro sedan will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 5.1 seconds and the Avant and A7 in 5.3 seconds. On all three models, the top speed is limited to 155 mph.
The new engine has been combined with technologies like start-stop and recuperation systems and the innovative thermal management system that quickly brings the coolant and oil up to their operating temperatures. With these additions, the fuel economy went up to an impressive 44.1mpg.
A few days ago, the Audi RS6 Avant prototype was out testing in the snow, giving our spy photographers an opportunity to capture it in action. After that, it was high time to do a little magic and come up with a new rendering of the production version, so here it is.
While building the new RS6 Avant, Audi focused on reducing the weight by as much as possible, so the production version will have plenty of elements built from lightweight Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP). That reduction of weight will benefit the 4.0 TFSI bi-turbo V8 engine that will be under the hood of the RS6 Avant. This engine was borrowed from the S6 and S8 models, as well as the new Bentley Continental GT V8. It delivers 500 HP, or possibly up to 550 HP, getting rather close to the 580 HP of the current RS6 Avant and its V10 engine.
Let us know what you think about our rendering in the comments section below!
